Blackout
by XII.XX
Summary: They would fulfill their task without objection. Without emotion. Without remorse. That was what being a Turk meant.
1. Blackout

**Blackout**

There's no room in the world for cowards.

Don't be so weak.

Just pull the damn trigger.

It's kill or be killed.

Kill.

KiIl.

_Kill_.

" Reno, I'm gonna kill you! "

" I swear, I didn't mean it, 'Lena! "

" That report was due _today_! "

" Well, I didn't know- Hey, hey! Put the gun away! "

_**BANG!**_

" Ha! Missed me! "

* * *

" P-please...I h-have a wife a-and two kids back at Junon... "

Blood...it was...everywhere.

" C'mon, Rookie. Just kill the damn moron. "

Red. Everything was red.

" I c-can't... "

" Just do it. Rude's holdin' him down, there's no way you can miss. "

" N-no...h-his family- "

" Man, you're stubborn...fine, then, gimme the gun. "

" W-what? "

" Do I have to spell it out for you? I'll kill him. "

He talked like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like death was a part of everyday life. It terrified her to think about what this man was capable of. There wasn't a single hint of remorse in his voice. He fought like he wanted to die; recklessly throwing himself into battle the first chance he got. _What _exactly was he?

She was so deep in thought, she hadn't realized that he had already taken the gun from her limp hand, until...

_**BANG!**_

" It was one shot, you idiot! He was gonna die anyway. "

Death wasn't as unfamiliar to her as it looked to him. But the deaths she's seen weren't bloody at all. Cancer. Old age. This particular demise had more impact to her than any other. The sad part was...she was just about to pull the trigger. Just to get it over with. Of course, she had Reno's impatience to thank. If he hadn't grabbed the gun, she would've shut her eyes, and fired. She would have branded herself a murderer.

" We're leavin'. You can stand there in the rain all night for all I care. "

Reno stole a glance at her. She was staring blankly at the dead man's body, practically melting away with guilt. He knew she was going to break down like this. He knew they shouldn't have taken her with them. He knew she couldn't take it. All that blood, all those deaths, right before her eyes. And all by his hand, too. Rude was merely a spectator, watching quietly until he was actually needed.

Stepping over the bloody corpse, he made his way to her. Sighing loudly, he knelt down, took her hand into his, and deposited the handgun into her palm.

" Give it back to Tseng. You won't need it. "

Elena shook her head.

" Man, you're stubborn. " He motioned for his partner to leave without them. Rude nodded, and left. " C'mon, you'll catch a cold. "

He made a move to get up, but she held on to his sleeve, and as easily as it would've been for him to pull away and get on with his life, he couldn't bring himself to do so. It was the first time he's heard from his conscience in years.

" Why did you do it? " Her voice was angry. Accusing. Like he had done something so inhuman that the ground might as well swallow him up, and send him plummeting to the depths of hell. He laughed a hollow laugh.

" It's all part of the job. " The job. It was his answer to everything. It was the only thing that mattered. Every guy who wanted beer had to make a living, after all.

" It's cruel of you, you know. Just talking about people's lives like they don't matter. "

" People like him don't do the world any favors by staying alive. "

Elena clenched a hand over the gun Tseng had presented her earlier that day. Why was she so stupid as to even think of joining the Turks? Oh, right. It was all because of her perfect older sister. Always showing her up. Always being the better kid. She never had to try-- even if she screwed everything up. their parents would always favor her. And it was all because of a despicable thing called love.

Elena got up, slowly, gingerly, ignoring the hand Reno had half-heartedly offered her.

Reno, on the other hand, couldn't remember the last time he felt sorry for ending somebody's life. It was just another criminal with the death penalty. He was simply the executioner. He didn't care. He knew he didn't. Then, why was it, that those accusatory words that came pouring out of her mouth ripped at him more than any blade, any bullet, ever had? Nevertheless, something had to be done. He had to be killed.

That was the job. It was their mission as Turks to erase every obstacle, every nuisance, that stood in Shinra's path. They would fulfill their task without objection. Without emotion. Without remorse. That was what being a Turk meant. That was who they are.

But it wasn't who they wanted to be.

* * *

It was a funny thing, death.

Most fear it.

Some crave it.

Regardless of whether we want it or not, it'll have to happen. Maybe in years, maybe in days. It could come for us tomorrow, or the day after that. Nobody knows why, or how, or, more importantly, when.

But it'll happen.

Someday.

Someday...

We'd all fall dead.

**A/N:** I'm not sure whether to turn this into a multi-chapter story or not; I think it stands pretty well on its own. If it's liked well enough, maybe I just might make it a little bit longer...

Anyway, just leave a review, it it's not too much of a waste of time. If you wish to flame me, go right ahead. (I'm fireproof, baby! )


	2. Parting Ways and Crossing Paths

**Parting Ways and Crossing Paths**

Nobody would have guessed that he'd be the first one to go. But, apparently, first one to come, first one to leave. And everyone gathered around his grave, wondering why their fearless leader was lying dead and cold six feet under.

Reno hated to be the bringer of bad news-- but, somehow, due to some cruel twist of fate, he always finds himself telling everybody else of something tragic. Quite frankly, he'd rather be telling a joke. But he couldn't bring himself to do so. Tseng had always told him to be more serious, less childish, and more appreciative of life. Maybe...for that one day, he just might.

Elena cried through the whole ceremony. She couldn't even use her hankerchief anymore, it was soaked in tears from the very moment she heard about the incident. It was three nights ago. Reno, voice hoarse, had showed up at her apartment, his white shirt covered in blood, face covered in cold sweat. He didn't tell her there and then. Couldn't bring himself to. He can't let her break down. Because, if she did, then she'd refuse to see Tseng, and that, in his opinion would be a great disrespect to his memory. It was only when they arrived at the hospital that she understood the only words that left his mouth from the moment she opened her door.

_Be brave, Laney._

Rude didn't cry. Rude never cried. He stood by Tseng's bed, waiting for Reno to come back with Elena, hoping that Tseng would live long enough to speak to her one last time. He didn't. Not that it was unexpected. He had lost too much blood. Stab wounds had been all over his body, it was only understandable. Reno was the one who found him, a couple of blocks away from home. Whether it was for the better, or for the worse, Reno was sober enough to process the scene and figure out that his boss was dying. Rude swore to find whoever did such a thing. He knew many people hated Shin-Ra, and Tseng was nothing short of loyal, even obsessed, with the once-great company. Even after the end of its reign, people still found it hard to let go of old grudges. Found it hard to live and let live.

The funeral had been a typical Turk funeral. Less than ten people were there. Tseng's only remaining family was his little sister, who left, giving the three remaining Turks spiteful looks.

_How could you let this happen to him? _Her eyes seemed to say.

This automatically reduced Elena to tears even more tears, if that was possible, and Reno, reluctant as he was, offered her a shoulder to cry on.

Rufus had approached them the following day. He said that he'd be leaving for the his family's first home in the country the following morning. Reno had ranted about being 'fired' for quite a while, before finally accepting the the ex-President's mind was settled and there was nothing he could do about it.

They all saw Rufus off, watching the black car disappear into the distance, before driving off in Rude's car to the nearest bar.

They needed the booze.

Rufus was gone.

Tseng was dead.

And the Turks were no more.

* * *

**Edge**

**Two Years Later**

" Anything I can get you? "

" Just a beer, please. "

" You got it. "

Elena sank into an empty seat and watched the dark-haired barmaid pour her drink out. The bar was almost completely empty, except for a particularly shady-looking character at the very back table. She amused herself by counting how many discarded beer bottles littered his table.

" Here you go. " the barmaid said, placing a glass of beer in front of Elena, who nodded gratefully. She couldn't remember exactly where she met that girl before...so familiar...

Then, it hit her.

" Tifa? " she asked, reluctant. " You're Tifa Lockhart, aren't you? "

The barmaid laughed. " I was wondering when you'd recognize me. " she replied amiably, extending her hand. " Elena, right? "

" Y-yeah. " Elena said, finding some difficulty conversing with a former member of AVALANCHE. It was just so...weird. But she went along with it anyway. Shaking somebody's hand was no big deal.

" I thought the Turks left. " Tifa went on, sitting opposite Elena, seemingly happy about her newfound company. " You still live in town? "

" No, just... meeting a friend. " Elena let the lie roll out her tongue as smoothly as possible. " How about you? Ever thoguht of moving away? "

" I have. But this place is just as good as anywhere else. Besides, there's always a good chance that he'll come back. "

" Who'll come back? "

" Cloud. You know, guy with the spiky hair. " Tifa laughed bitterly. " I haven't seen him in months. "

Elena could hardly believe that this woman was once an enemy. She knew that Tifa bore at least some hatred for Shin-Ra and anyone who worked under it. Suddenly, she felt the need to apologize. If not to all the people she killed. If not to anyone she harmed directly in any way. But at least to someonewho fought to overthrow the very foundation whose ideals weren't as right as she, and millions of others, once thought them to be.

" Tifa... "

" Yeah? "

Everywhere she went, she was looked down upon as some mass murderer who deserved the death penalty. She didn't want to be hated anymore.

" I'm sorry. "

Tifa only smiled.

* * *

Today was the day. He had hoped that she would at least go out her way to be there. She had cared about him a lot after all. Maybe she'd show up. Or maybe she already had. But, that was impossible-- his were the only flowers on the grave. He had to remind himself every now and then that he wasn't there for her. The flowers he brought weren't for her. The past hour and a half of sitting in front of the friggin' grave of a man he swore to have hated wasn't for her. So where the hell was she?

He took yet another puff from his cigarette, basking in the feeling of satisfaction that nicotine gave him. She had told him to quit, right before she left. He didn't promise her anything. Her cab had turned the corner to Mainstreet when he realized that he forgot to ask for her new number. He hasn't seen her since.

He waited for another hour or so. But, then it started raining.

" Little disappointed in you, 'Lena. " he muttered, pulling the hood of his sweatshirt up to prevent his bright red hair from getting drenched, before getting up and starting to walk away. Fate just hated him, he figured. Why else wouldn't she show up?

" Reno! "

He turned on his heel. The water blurred his vision, but he knew exactly who it was.

She was running now, a bouquet of tulips clutched tightly in her hand, rushing right past the grave she had initially intended on visiting. But, she hadn't changed at all. And the next thing he knew, she had her arms around his neck, and was crying into his chest, just as she had that fateful day, when the Turks parted ways and their worlds fell apart completely. As much as they tried to live normal lives, they couldn't. The past just kept catching up to them, and their lives were left tattered and broken.

He wondered if they'll ever be able to pick up the pieces.

* * *

**A/N:** Figured I'll just make this a multi-chap fic since I was planning on writing another Turk story anyway. _Might_ be some ReLena in later chapters. And I'm sorry I killed Tseng off...he was a good man...


	3. Is And Was

**Is and Was**

There were things that were and things that could have been. All your life, the could-have-beens would linger on, a haunting reminder of what wasn't. To dream of a fresh start, a new beginning, would only result in disappointment. Nothing erases the past. Not even the present. And most certainly not the future.

" You look different, " Elena piped up after a long silence. Reno, trying to be the gentleman he clearly wasn't, insisted that he drive her back to her hotel. His offer sounded hardly like an offer and mostly like an order, but Elena was in too much of a good mood to care. She let herself be ushered into his bright red convertible without a fight.

" Oh, you noticed, " he replied, the same type of sarcasm from years ago still lacing his voice, though less prominent.

" Yeah... it's something about your face... "

" Falling for me now, are we? " Reno ran his fingers through his hair absent-mindedly as he tried to avoid a flustered pedestrian who, Elena was certain, had the right of way. She reminded herself it wasn't the time to draw attention to Reno's non-existent driving etiquette.

Looking at him again, realization dawned on her. " Your hair! "

" What about it? " He panicked, taking a fleeting glance at his reflection on the rearview mirror.

" You cut it! " Elena exclaimed, her tone accusatory. " You chopped your ponytail off! "

" Give her a million gil, she's a genius. " Reno rolled his eyes, then chuckled. " Well, at least some things never change. "

" What's that supposed to mean? "

" You'll figure it out if you think hard enough. "

She was prepared to get violent with him, but her seat belt held her in place. Before she knew it, the demonic car halted.

" This the place? " Reno asked.

Elena nodded automatically.

" Too fancy. You need to find another hotel. "

" This is the only one that has any rooms available, otherwise, I wouldn't have settled for it, " she snapped. " And I do have a job, if you're questioning my ability to get hired. "

" Nobody's questioning anything, I just think that if you're gonna stay here for a while, you can't live in _that_. What do they charge, like, five thousand gil a night? "

" Two thousand, " Elena corrected. " And it's not like I have any other choice. "

" You can bunk in with Rude and me, " came the brilliant suggestion.

" Like I said, I don't have any other choice, " she repeated insolently.

Reno groaned. " It's dangerous out here, 'Lena. If you're not careful, you're gonna mugged, beat up, and possibly killed, all in the same night. "

" C'mon, Reno, it's not like I can't take care of myself. I kicked _your_ ass, if you recall. "

" You can only kick my ass because my manly honor refuses to let me hit a woman. And don't change the freakin' subject. You're staying at my place and that's final. "

" Why? "

" Because...well, I can't talk about it out here, but I promise I'll tell you if you promise to stick around. "

Elena couldn't decide whether this was some sort of trick. The sad part was it looked like Reno actually meant it.

She drew a sharp breath. " Fine. But just for a week. Then, I'm going back to the Coast. "

" Deal, " he smirked.

* * *

Reno's flat was not even one bit how Elena expected it to be. For one thing, the floor was actually visible. Elena assumed that it was because of Rude that Hurricane Reno hadn't fully scattered debris all over the blood-red carpet.

" Where's Rude, anyway? " Elena wondered aloud.

" Junon, " Reno huffed from the doorway. He was out of breath, having dragged all of Elena's heavy bags up four flights of stairs as the building didn't have a functioning elevator at the moment. " He's visiting an aunt there. "

" Oh, " was all he got in reply. Elena was too busy taking in the view before her. A black leather couch, a gigantic television set, a decent-sized kitchen...all things considered, Reno had a pretty nice place. Save the beer bottles on the coffee table.

" Well, don't just stand there, " Reno said loudly. " Go take your goddamn stuff to your goddamn room. I'm too tired to carry your stupid bags all the way. "

" I get my own room? " She was clearly excited about having a room all to herself. Considering Reno's track record, one would usually expect to sleep on the couch when asked to come over.

" Yeah, " he replied lazily, slouching over to the couch. " First door on your left. "

After a productive hour of unpacking, Elena returned to the spacious living room, only to find the red-head already asleep. She was about to shake him awake, when a disturbingly loud ring started echoing from his pocket. Reno woke up at once.

" Red here. "

Elena tried to listen in, but could hear nothing from the other end of the line. Most of the conversation was supplied by the guy on the other end. All Reno really said was 'yeah' and 'uh-huh'. Then, the call ended.

" Who was that? " she asked suspiciously.

" Oh, no one special. Just some guy, " Reno shrugged. " Look, I gotta go for a while. But, I promise I'll tell you everything you need to know when I get back, 'kay? "

And then he was gone.

* * *

She honestly didn't mean to find anything suspicious among Reno's belongings. All she wanted was do a bit of spring cleaning before he got back; a thank you gift of sorts for offering to let her stay. As much as she hated to admit it, her hotel had been very expensive. After she had finished with the kitched and the living room, she went to explore the bedrooms. The room next to hers was locked, meaning it was Rude's. Across from that was Reno's, obviously.

Cautiously, she pushed the door open. The room was plain enough; in fact, besides an unmade bed and a large closet, there wasn't much else there.

In the closet was an array of white dress shirts and black suits that Elena assumed were the very same ones he wore as a Turk. Littered all over the floor was his casual wear: pairs of beaten sneakers, a variety of shirts that endorsed his favorite beer brands, bleach-stained jeans. What caught her attention, however, was the blood-stained sweatshirt that lay unchecked on his pillow.

Elena didn't know what to think. She knew Reno meant well by not telling her anything, but the blood on his clothes made it hard to believe that. She picked the sweatshirt up with trembling hands, and as she did, a piece of paper slipped out of one of the pockets. It, too, was blood-stained.

A photograph. It was of a very pretty woman with dark hair and prettiest green eyes. She held child in her arms. A child with the same green eyes, but his hair was a lighter brown and it stuck up in every direction. Somehow, the little boy in the picture seemed sickeningly familiar.

" What are you doing? " Reno demanded, staring pointedly at the shirt that Elena held in her hand.

" N-nothing. "

" This doesn't look like nothing, " he growled, grabbing the photograph she had attempted to hide behind her back.

" I didn't meant to- " Elena began.

" Don't stick your nose where it doesn't need to be, Elena. Is it so hard for you to understand that? "

" It's a little hard to keep believing you, you know, " Elena snapped, waving his shirt in front of his face. " Especially when I'm seeing blood on your clothes. What the hell aren't you telling me? "

" I guess you don't need to know, after all. "

" Yes, I do! I'm so deep in the dark, I don't even know you anymore, Reno! "

Reno, swearing under his breath, grabbed Elena by the wrists, forcing her to look him in the eye. " You're wrong, " he whispered. " You never knew me. "

_Slap!_

He was forced to let go of her. Without another word, Elena stomped out of the room. The front door slammed shut before Reno could react. His hand involuntarily jumped to his stinging cheek.

" Shit, that hurt. "

* * *

**A/N: ***_gasp_* Oh em gee, Reno said a bad word. D8 Holy shit...

Thanks for everyone who reviewed, it means a lot. I know, I know, it took me forever to put anything new up. This isn't even that long of a chapter. I'm just lazy like that. Productivity is not my game. Don't be like me. Leave a review. Thank you for your cooperation.


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